Pete Willsman

You may know that I am Secretary of CLPD (Campaign for Labour Party Democracy) and that CLPD began the campaign for positive action for women on shortlists in 1980. In her book, Meg Russell gives CLPD a lot of the credit re AWSs.Thus CLPD and I are totally committee to your demands.

Sadly, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the choice of which CLPs are to be AWSs have often been manipulated by the powers that be to benefit favoured candidates (male or female). CLPD is working on a rule change to make the choice more random and so stop this bad practice.

In addition it is important that the rules which require LCFs to oversee positive action to raise the number of women councillors are enforced. This is vital not only for its own sake but also to ensure that there are more good women councillors who may in future be selected as parliamentary candidates.

I would also want to develop positive action structures in our party to benefit BAME and manual workers, although structures re the latter will be difficult to formulate.